Mixing pathos and humor in equal measure, East of Denver is an unflinching novel of rural America, a poignant, darkly funny tale about a father and son finding their way together as their home and livelihood inexorably disappears. When Stacey "Shakespeare" Williams arrives at his family's farm in... More
Mixing pathos and humor in equal measure, East of Denver is an unflinching novel of rural America, a poignant, darkly funny tale about a father and son finding their way together as their home and livelihood inexorably disappears. When Stacey "Shakespeare" Williams arrives at his family's farm in eastern Colorado to bury a dead cat, he finds his widowed and senile father, Emmett living in squalor. He has no money, the land is fallow, and a local banker has cheated his father out of the majority of the farm equipment and his beloved Cessna. With no job and no prospects, Shakespeare suddenly finds himself caretaker to both his dad and the farm, and drawn into an unlikely clique of old high school classmates: Vaughn Atkins, a paraplegic confined to his mother's basement; Carissa McPhail, an overweight bank teller who pitches for the local softball team; and longtime bully D. J. Beckman, who now deals drugs throughout small-town Dorsey. Facing the loss of the farm, Shakespeare hatches a half-serious plot with his father and his fellow gang of misfits to rob the very bank that has stolen their future. East of Denver is a remarkably assured, sharply observed, and utterly memorable debut. Less

Arriving at his family's farm in Eastern Colorado to discover his father's home in a terrible state because of the dishonest machinations of a corrupt banker, Shakespeare Williams falls in with former classmates in a plot to rob the bank that has cheated them.

Local note: cat13

Staff Reviews

Oct 19, 2012

Posted by ACB

East of Denver is quirky and off-beat, funny and heartbreaking and much of it will ring true with anyone who has an adult parent suffering from dementia. Most people just don't deal with the situation the way "Shakespeare" Williams does.

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Jul 18, 2012

Posted by Anonymous

Black but funny. The author created great characters. Fantastic dialogue. And he has a great feel for what it's like east of Denver.

Sep 6, 2012

Posted by Lisa C. Staff

Gregory Hill is a librarian at University of Denver and he is in a local band. This is his debut novel - quirky, kind, about relationships and coming home. Come meet him at Highlands Ranch Library 7pm on October 18th!

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APA Citation

Hill, G. W. (2012). East of Denver: .
New York: Dutton.

MLA Citation

Hill, Gregory W. East of Denver: .
New York: Dutton, 2012.

Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2010.

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|a Arriving at his family's farm in Eastern Colorado to discover his father's home in a terrible state because of the dishonest machinations of a corrupt banker, Shakespeare Williams falls in with former classmates in a plot to rob the bank that has cheated them.